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DNA finally nails the notorious Boston Strangler

BETWEEN 1962 and 1964, the Boston Strangler killed at least 11 women. Chief suspect, Albert DeSalvo confessed, recanted and was never convicted. Now DNA evidence has confirmed he killed victim Mary Sullivan.

In 2012, DNA from seminal fluid was prised from Sullivan’s remains by two US forensics labs, using new means to derive profiles from old DNA.

Both found the same DNA profile. The next task was to obtain DNA from DeSalvo by exhuming his body, legal since the unknown profile had the same, rare markers on the Y chromosome to that of his nephew. When the DNA from DeSalvo was tested, it matched the crime-scene DNA.

Donald Haynes of the Boston Police Crime Lab said&colon; “You’d have to search four planet Earths to find one person with that profile, and DeSalvo had that profile.”

This article appeared in print under the headline “DNA nails Strangler”